


Not Yet

by Mythica



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: F/M, Season/Series 05
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-24
Updated: 2016-10-24
Packaged: 2018-08-24 12:40:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8372614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mythica/pseuds/Mythica
Summary: Oliver finds out about Felicity's boyfriend and doesn't take it very well.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Just a little brain dump on how I see the revelation of Felicity's boyfriend is going to affect Oliver. Will he take it well? Will he do something he'll regret later? Set after 5x03.

Something wasn’t right. She could feel it in her bones. Ever since Oliver had come down to the bunker, things had felt… off. Normally when he came down after a day at City Hall, he would greet her and ask if anything was waiting. Today, she had only been greeted with silence.

When Felicity had heard the elevator door open, she had turned to see Oliver walking towards her, but instead of heading straight for her workstation, he diverted, heading back to the workout area. She knew he usually went back to change before getting a bit of a work out in, but that was usually after checking in with her first. When she heard him return, having changed into sweatpants, a t-shirt and a sweat jacket, she had expected him to check in, but again, he stopped before reaching her, instead heading to his workbench to start working on arrows. Frowning in confusion, Felicity got up from her chair and walked over to him. When he didn’t even acknowledge her, she crossed her arms and cleared her throat.

“Do you need something?” he asked with just a hint of annoyance in his voice.

“Is everything ok?” she asked, noticing his temperament.

“It’s fine,” he replied, not bothering to look up from what he was doing.

“Fine,” she repeated as she dropped her arms to her side. “Really? You expect me to believe that?”

Oliver let out a sigh and dropped the arrow he was working on, finally looking up at her. The look on his face was something she hadn’t seen in quite a few years and it made her step back a little. He looked like if she said the wrong thing, that arrow would end up in her.

“Ok then,” she said cautiously, holding her hands up in defense. “Obviously not in a talking mood.”

“Not really,” he agreed as he turned back to his arrow.

“Well, don’t let me keep you from your… sharpening,” she told him with just a hint of sarcasm on her voice. “I just thought you’d like to know what’s going on tonight.”

“I’m sure you’d tell me if I was needed.”

Felicity’s eyes opened in surprise before she turned on her heels and started heading back to her workstation. She knew something was bothering him, but she couldn’t force him to talk about it. They had managed to get their relationship back to where they were before they had started dating and obviously talking about whatever was bothering him was beyond where they were. Glancing over her shoulder, she frowned in concern as she watched him work. He really didn’t have anyone to talk to anymore, especially with John not around. All she wanted to do was go back to him and find out what was wrong, but she continued back to her workstation, taking her seat and getting back to her searches. If he wanted to talk, he knew where to find her.

>>>\------>

Curtis hit the mat with a thud, knocking the wind out of him. It took him a moment to realize that Evelyn had joined him. When he looked up, it was just in time to see Rory go flying, losing his balance and hitting the concrete pillar harder than he should have. Looking over at Evelyn, he saw her struggling to get back to her feet.

“Is it just me, or is Oliver beating on us a little more than usual?” he asked as Evelyn gripped her wrist and winced.

“How can you tell?” she asked, looking over to where Rory was rubbing the back of his head.

Nodding in agreement, Curtis turned over and got to his knees just as Rene was dodging a blow from Oliver. At least one of them seemed to be able to counter some of Oliver’s moves. Curtis smiled as Rene forced Oliver back, seeming getting the upper hand, but soon it all came crashing down when Oliver swung out his leg and swept Rene’s feet out from under him. Curtis groaned a little as he saw his savior land on the ground. Since they were all down, he had expected Oliver to back off, but instead he advanced on Rene, gripping him around the neck from behind. Glancing at Evelyn in surprise, Curtis quickly got up and made his way over, trying to figure out what Oliver was doing. If he didn’t stop squeezing, he was going to do some serious damage.

“Oliver, stop!” he shouted as he walked over and grabbed Oliver’s arm. Oliver’s grip on Rene’s neck didn’t loosen at all as Oliver swung his leg out and swiped Curtis’s feet out from under him. A quick elbow to the chest and Curtis was gasping for air. Evelyn and Rory quickly joined in, also trying to get Oliver off of Rene. Without looking, Oliver swung his arm out and hit Evelyn right in the face, sending her flying. Knowing better than to advance on Oliver without backup, Rory ran over to the intercom and pressed the call button.

“We need help in the training room!”

Rene was doing the best he could to get Oliver off of his neck, but he was starting to feel the affects of lack of oxygen. He was just about to lose consciousness when he heard a familiar loud voice.

“Oliver!”

On hearing Felicity’s voice, Oliver looked up. When he realized what he was doing, he released his hold on Rene, allowing the other man to crawl away as he coughed violently. Looked around the room, he saw Rory squatting next to Evelyn who had a nasty cut across her forehead. Curtis was sitting on the floor next to her, rubbing his chest as he looked at Oliver in confusion.

“What the hell is going on in here?”

Getting to his feet, he took one more glance at her before turning and walking out of the room, grabbing his sweat jacket as he went. Walking over to Rene, Felicity squatted down and placed her hand on his shoulder, looking at him with concern. “Are you ok?”

Rene’s coughing preventing him from speaking, but he did manage to give her a nod. Looking over to the others, she saw Curtis helping Evelyn get to her feet as Rory held on to her other arm.

“What just happened?” Curtis asked.

Felicity squinted her eyes in anger as she looked down the hall to where Oliver had disappeared.

“I’m going to find out.”

>>>\------>

"Oliver, stop!"

Oliver didn’t even pause when he heard her voice. He just continued on, heading towards the garage. He could hear her footsteps going faster as she caught up with him, but she was the one person he didn’t want to speak to.

“Oliver!”

He knew there was no way to get his bike ready to go out quick enough, so he just made his way towards the back door. Before he could reach it, he felt a hand touch his arm. Without really thinking about it, he quickly brought his hand up and grabbed her by the wrist, spinning to face her. When he saw the pained look on her face from the grip he had on her wrist, he quickly let go, but stayed facing her.

“Don’t.”

Felicity took a step back and for the first time in four years, he saw a momentary look of fear on her face.

“What is going on with you?” she asked, rubbing her wrist slightly. “And don’t say noth…”

“Nothing.”

Felicity let out a sigh as she tentatively took a step closer to him. “I know something is bothering you,” she told him, keeping her voice soft so as not to spook him. “You’ve been acting off all day.”

Oliver let out a huff as he walked past her and headed towards the motorcycle. If she insisted on talking, he would have time to get his bike ready.

“I’m fine,” he told her as he started checking the bike over.

Walking right over to him, Felicity stepped in front of the motorcycle and crossed her arms in front of her. “Try again.”

Oliver just sighed and moved away from the motorcycle, instead heading back down the hallway towards the gym. He could hear Felicity’s heels clicking behind him, confirming that she wasn’t going to let it drop.

“You almost strangled Wild Dog back there,” she reminded him. “Evelyn might have a concussion and you may have broken one of Curtis’s ribs!”

“They know training can be dangerous,” he said as he walked into the gym. This workout space was separated from their normal training area so he knew he wouldn’t be interrupted. “They have to be prepared for anything out in the field.”

“Out in the field, yes,” she agreed as she watched him walk over to one of the training dummies and started pounding on it. “Not while being trained by their leader!”

“If they can’t handle it, then maybe they shouldn’t be here.”

Felicity just looked at him, trying to figure out what was going through his mind and how to get through to him. She knew he could be stubborn, but this was just getting ridiculous.

“This isn’t about getting them ready to go into the field,” she told him as she walked around so she could see his face. “Something has been bugging you ever since you came in today. You have barely spoken to me and then you pound on the team like their a group of street thugs. Sometimes I think you forget how well I know you.”

“Well, as you like to point out,” Oliver countered as he continued to hit the dummy, “we aren’t together anymore so it’s not your concern.”

Oliver could see the hurt on her face, but he wasn’t going to let it affect him. She had broken up with him.

“I’m still your friend,” she said more quietly, hoping to get his attention away from the dummy he was pounding on, but what it did was make him hit it harder so that one of the poles sticking out of it broke off.

“Are you?” he asked as he stepped back, breathing heavily. “Is that why you’ve been keeping things from me? Because we’re friends?” When he saw the confused look on her face, he just turned and headed over to pick up a towel.

“I thought we were partners,” he told her as he wiped down his face. “Partners don’t keep things from each other, especially when they could affect how we do our job.”

“Oh, that’s rich, coming from you,” she countered, closing in on him again.

“And I’m still paying for that mistake, aren’t I?” he hissed. “But now, here you are, doing the same thing, but for some reason, you expect me to be ok with it.”

“Oliver, what are you talking about?” she asked, genuinely confused.

“Does he know?”

“Does who know what?” she asked, throwing her hands up in frustration.

“Detective Malone. Does he know that you work with the Green Arrow, or is that something else you’re keeping from someone?”

Felicity’s eyes shot open wide as she looked at him in shock. “How did you…”

“I saw you,” he interrupted, stepping a bit closer to her. “At the police station. I was meeting up with the anti-crime task force and I saw you… with him.”

“Oliver, I didn’t…”

“What?” he jumped in, crossing his arms in front of him. “Didn’t want me to find out?”

“Well… no, not if this is how you react to me dating someone else.”

Dropping the towel on the ground, Oliver walked up to her and stopped just a few inches from her. “Felicity, you can date whomever you want. Just don’t expect me to be happy about it.”

With that, he walked around her and out of the gym. He was grateful that he didn’t hear her following him this time. He needed time to calm down and clear his head and he knew just where to go.

>>>\------>

Oliver looked out onto the city and took a deep breath. The cool night air was just what he needed. He would much rather have gone on patrol, but he hadn’t gotten a chance to change since his argument with Felicity and he wasn’t ready to go back inside yet. He wanted to make sure he was under control before he did that.

He frequently came up there, to the roof of the building, when he needed some quiet time just to himself. The sounds of the city seem to calm him, much like the sounds of the ocean when he was on Lian Yu. He had so little free time these days. Sometimes even the Green Arrow and the mayor needed some time to himself.

Crossing his arms in front of him, he looked down at the gravel on the rooftop, kicking one of the larger stones with his shoe. He knew he had overreacted. It wasn’t like she was his anymore. She had the right to see anyone she wanted. But seeing her actually with another man? Oliver shook his head as he tried to clear the image from it. How had he messed it up so badly?

The sound of the access door opening got his attention as he brought his vision back up to look out to the city. He didn’t need to look to see who it was. There was only one person who would come up there. He felt himself tense as the footsteps moved closer. He wasn’t sure he was ready for what was to come.

“I sent the team home,” Felicity told him as she walked up behind him. “I told them that something had happened at City Hall that had set you on edge. They understood.”

“I’ll apologize to them tomorrow,” he replied, still looking out into the night.

Oliver could almost hear her mind racing, trying to figure out how to approach the subject he knew she wanted to talk about. When he heard the gravel shuffle behind him, he almost turned around, but he really didn’t want to face her.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” she said softly. “You’re right. Partners shouldn’t keep things from one another. I just… didn’t want to hurt you.”

Oliver nodded as he shoved his hands into his pockets and looked down at the gravel rooftop. There was no situation in his mind where he wouldn’t get hurt seeing Felicity with another man. Oliver could hear the crunching of the gravel as Felicity walked to stand next to him. When he glanced over at her, she was also looking out into the city with her arms wrapped tightly around her. For some reason, she had come out to the rooftop without a jacket.

“Do you know how I met him?” she asked as Oliver unzipped his hoodie and pulled it off of his shoulders. Wrapping it around her, he shook his head.

“Felicity, you don’t have to…”

“It was at a support meeting,” she completed as she looked over at him. “For people suffering from PTSD.”

That got Oliver’s attention as he saw a pained look on her face.

“It was rough after Havenrock,” she told him as her voice broke slightly. Turning away from him, she stared out at the city lights, finding comfort in their sparkle. “I couldn’t talk to anyone about what had happened. How can you just go up to someone and say you feel guilty about causing the deaths of thousands of people? Then I saw a notice about a PTSD support group and I thought maybe if I listened to how other people coped, it would help. Obviously I wouldn’t be able to tell anyone in the group what I had done, but maybe just being there and listening would be enough, you know?” Felicity finally glanced over at him and saw the undivided attention he was giving her. She gave him a small smile before turning back to looking out. “Billy was there. He had been in the army a few years back and some of the things he had done and seen had had a lasting affect on him. He didn’t go to every meeting, but he happened to be there that night. He spoke of what had happened to him while he was deployed and how he had learned to cope with it when he had gotten back. After the meeting was over, he came over to me and we talked. He could tell something had happened, but he didn’t push me to tell him what it was. He was just… there for me.”

“Felicity, why didn’t you say something?” Oliver asked as she looked to him to see the concern on his face.

Giving him a teasing smile she pulled her arms into the jacket before finally zipping it up. “You can’t even talk about your own PTSD,” she told him. “How could I expect you to help with mine? Besides, with everything we’d been through, it didn’t feel… right to talk to you about this. That’s not how our relationship is now.”

“Felicity, we were friends before we were anything more,” he reminded her. “I told you years ago that if you needed someone to talk to about your day, you could talk to me. I wish you had trusted me with this.”

“I needed to do this on my own,” she told him. “I needed to know that I could do this on my own. I didn’t expect Billy to get involved, but he was there and he was so supportive. Then he asked me out and… well, that’s it.”

Oliver nodded as he turned back to look out into the city. Billy had been there for her in her time of need. He should be grateful that she had someone to be there for her.

“But to answer your earlier question,” she continued, “no. He doesn’t know about me working with the Green Arrow. Most of our dates have been early enough in the day that it hasn’t come up. And he’s quite busy too. He works a lot of nights.”

“If you want to tell him, it’s ok,” he told her, causing her to look at him in surprise. “I know what can happen if you keep secrets from someone you care about.”

Felicity nodded as she crossed her arms in front of her and looked down at her feet. “He told me he was joining your anti-crime taskforce,” she revealed. “Is this going to be a problem? I don’t need you going all grrr every time you see him.”

Oliver let out a small laugh as he looked over at her. “I promise. No grrr.”

“That’s good,” she replied, looking up and giving him a smile. “I don’t think he could take the beating you handed out to the team today.”

“Felicity, I want you to know that I wasn’t mad at him or you today,” he explained, causing her to look at him curiously. “I was mad at myself. When I saw you two together, I realized that if I hadn’t messed things up, that could have been me there instead of him. You could have confided in me about your problems. I had hoped that maybe… someday… you might forgive me for what I had done and then maybe…”

“… maybe we’d have another chance.” As she completed his thought, he looked up at her and nodded. “Oliver, I’ve already forgiven you for what you did,” she explained. “It’s in the past and done with. That’s not what’s preventing us from being together.”

“Then what is?”

Felicity sighed as she wrapped her arms around her and turned back to the city lights. “I can’t afford to loose myself right now,” she explained. “I need time to figure things out. When I’m with you… all I can see is us. What we have… had… it’s so… intense. For now, I need to be focused on me. Can you understand that?”

Oliver nodded as he looked out at the lights. “But you’re still seeing Malone,” Oliver countered. “How is that any different?”

“Billy is… easy,” she replied, but cringed after she said it. “He’s not… complicated. What you see is what you get with him. I need easy right now. I don’t want to be alone, but I can’t handle complicated. Not yet.”

Oliver’s eyes perked up when he heard her last statement, but he didn’t want to start to overwhelm her again. He couldn’t prevent the small smile from coming over his face though. Those last two words meant there was still hope.

“Can we go back inside now?” Felicity asked as she turned to him and rubbed her arms vigorously. “You may be immune to the cold, but I’m not.”

Oliver laughed lightly as he held up his hand, indicating that he would follow her. As she crunched through the gravel, he could see she was walking faster than she had when she had come out. Putting his hand on her back, he made sure she was steady on the gravel given the height of her heels. When her balance faltered slightly, his other hand came out and grabbed her arm, making sure she was stable as they walked over to the door. Reaching out to open the door, he held it open as she gave him a thankful smile. As she re-entered the building, he just watched as she slowly started to descend the stairs. _Not yet_ kept rattling through his head as he watched her go. Not yet...


End file.
